The Senate on June 23 passed a gun safety package, the first significant gun legislation in 30 years.Almost a month to the day after 22 students and teachers were killed in a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school, the Senate on Thursday passed a gun safety package, the first significant gun legislation in 30 years.
“Law-abiding Americans will go to bed tonight with significantly stronger Second Amendment rights than they had this morning, while new commonsense guardrails around convicted criminals and mental illness are now on their way to becoming law.” “This bipartisan legislation will help protect Americans. Kids in schools and communities will be safer because of it,” Biden said following the vote. “The House of Representatives should promptly vote on this bipartisan bill and send it to my desk.
The bill calls for an increase in penalties for those who illegally straw purchase and traffic firearms. A straw purchase is one where a person buys a weapon for someone who is not legally allowed to purchase one.The bill will increase funding for mental health and suicide prevention programs. Included in the funding would be money for crisis and trauma intervention and recovery services.